Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Solution Lies in Early Elections

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Solution Lies in Early Elections

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The head of the Lebanese Forces (LF) party, Samir Geagea, said that the only exit for the current crisis in Lebanon was the holding of early parliamentary elections, “as the ruling majority has failed to find solutions.”

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Geagea said that the ruling majority does not know how to govern nor let others manage the country, and “people are stuck” in the problem.

Stressing that the LF was at the heart of anti-government protests, he noted that people returned to the streets “because they saw that the constitutional institutions, on which they relied to resolve the situation, have failed to do so and further deepened the crisis.”

Geagea said that the relationship with resigned-Prime Minister Saad Hariri was maintained at the “minimum level”.

“We and the Future Movement are strategically aligned, but our views differ on how to run the State,” he affirmed.

He went on to say that Hariri “has disappointed us with many things that happened previously and the time was not at all appropriate to support him to head the government.”

The head of the LF admitted that there was no strategy that brings together opposition parties, namely the Future Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), and the Kataeb.

“Other parties, who think like us, don’t want to get into big strategies now”, he remarked.

Geagea said he believed that the ruling majority has proven to be ineffective for three years now, and in the last three months, it has proven to be “powerless, deficient, and corrupt.”

“I cannot imagine that a country has witnessed a popular uprising for three months, in conjunction with a rapidly deteriorating economic and financial situation, and the ruling authority is doing nothing,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“In my opinion, this is the actual crisis. It’s that you have an existing ruling majority that does not know how to rule, nor let others rule, and people are stuck in the middle,” he commented.

Asked about the renewal of the street protests across Lebanon, the LF president said: “People took to the streets again with such intensity, pulse, and strength because there is no other way out.”

“There was an exit available for the ruling majority when Hassan Diab was designated. There was an opportunity to form a government with different specifications that apply to the current conditions, to restore confidence in the state of Lebanon, to find solutions to economic, financial, and living conditions, or to give a minimum level of confidence for the people to go to their homes,” he lamented.

“Unfortunately, the opportunity was lost… and the people returned to the streets,” he said.

Geagea said that recent street developments have “sounded the alarm over the need for the rest of the parties to wake up and realize the seriousness of what is happening.”

In this regard, he underlined that the only solution was the holding of early parliamentary elections, saying: “This issue is strongly present on the table of the LF bloc; how can we convince the other parliamentary blocs because we do not see any other solution.”

“Do they want the country to collapse before their eyes, while they remain attached to their seats, and no one moves?!” He asked.

Geagea also emphasized that the goals set by the protesters “meet the objectives previously announced by the LF,” with regards to the “resignation of the government, the formation of a transitional cabinet of independents, and other goals.”

“In the present situation, we can be heading towards early parliamentary elections,” he remarked.



Russian Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Mining Concessions Dependent on Ukraine Talks Progress

Alexander Ionov, a member of Russia’s Human Rights Council under President Vladimir Putin (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Alexander Ionov, a member of Russia’s Human Rights Council under President Vladimir Putin (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Russian Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Mining Concessions Dependent on Ukraine Talks Progress

Alexander Ionov, a member of Russia’s Human Rights Council under President Vladimir Putin (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Alexander Ionov, a member of Russia’s Human Rights Council under President Vladimir Putin (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Amid statements made by US President Donald Trump regarding the future of agreements brokered by Riyadh over the Russia-Ukraine crisis, a Russian official has expressed Moscow's readiness to make concessions on certain raw materials and mining activities under US negotiation.

However, the official linked these concessions to the outcomes of talks in Riyadh.

Alexander Ionov, a member of Russia’s Human Rights Council under President Vladimir Putin, revealed that the Russian side supports establishing relations with the US.

According to Ionov, Russia is willing to make concessions on certain raw materials and mining activities, but everything depends on the negotiations concerning Ukraine.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ionov pointed out that if progress is made in US-Russia understandings on Ukraine, and results are seen regarding the lifting of sanctions, that could potentially be the key to establishing normal, positive relations.

However, so far, Trump’s rhetoric remains purely political, with no concrete steps taken.

Regarding the potential inclusion of European Union countries in Ukraine-related negotiations at some stage, Ionov said that the negotiations are progressing, but the Ukrainian side is seeking to garner European support and set its own terms, which conflict with the views of both Russia and the US.

The White House is frustrated with Kyiv’s rhetoric, and Trump’s team is exerting significant pressure.

Ionov continued to say that everyone is waiting for the Black Sea agreement, reached by the Russian and US delegations, to come into effect.

However, it’s clear that this deal will only be effective after a ceasefire. In the meantime, Kyiv is losing territory, while Russia has liberated the Kursk region.

According to Ionov, European countries are eager to join the negotiation process, but for obvious reasons, they cannot be full participants. They support the Ukrainian scenario of autonomy, which means maintaining Ukraine’s territory as it stood in 1991.

He pointed out that leaders from many countries, especially France and the UK, have called for NATO peacekeeping forces to be deployed in Ukraine.

This is unacceptable to Russia, affirmed Ionov.

In general, we see an aggressive stance from European leaders who are willing to continue investing in this direction.

Ionov believes that US President Donald Trump wants to expedite the signing of a peace agreement on the Ukraine conflict, as he sees it as part of his election campaign.

However, the EU and Ukraine are slowing down the process, coupled with significant tensions in negotiations between the US and Russian delegations, with little progress made.

On the effectiveness of sanctions imposed on Russia, Ionov argued that Trump should find the real culprit in this whole matter, rather than threaten to impose restrictions on Russian oil.

In general, this will not have much impact on Russia’s economy, as the main consumers of Russian raw materials are not in the West, but in the East, confirmed Ionov.

Additionally, Russia has much greater influence over OPEC than the US. Saudi Arabia is actively cooperating with Russia and Venezuela on the oil market, and the US can do little about it at this point.

In reality, the Russian side supports building relations with the US, and it is willing to make concessions on certain raw materials and mining activities. But everything depends on the negotiations concerning Ukraine.

As for Saudi- Russian relations, Ionov reaffirmed that Russia engages with the Saudi people with warmth and kindness. Much work is being done at the official level, as Saudi Arabia is a key partner for Russia in the Middle East, he added.

Russian-Saudi cooperation shows a shared effort in developing the regional security framework, as well as advancing projects in humanitarian cooperation.

Ionov hoped the Kingdom will continue its efforts in developing joint energy projects with Russia and will participate in the BRICS alliance.